Hostal Nuevo Amanecer

The people were nice, and our stay was still pleasant, but I'd give it about 3.5 stars if I could. We stayed five nights after booking through AirBnB. For the price, the room was as expected, with an okay bed, a private bathroom, and it stayed cool even in warm weather. They cleaned daily, and there was a common room and fridge. A few things let it down. Sometimes a bad smell came from the bathroom, probably from the sewage system. We told the staff, but they only suggested airing out the room, which isn't really an option at night. The WiFi also stopped working properly. They didn't do much about it and told us to use the common room connection instead. That worked, but having no WiFi in the room was inconvenient. I might try another hostel if I return to SPDA, though places there are generally expensive, so this one may still be good value.

They canceled our booking only days before we were due to arrive, even though we'd reserved it weeks earlier. By then everything else was booked, so we had nowhere to go. They said they could make us a room by canceling someone else's reservation. The whole system felt incredibly cruel, and the place seemed badly managed. Shockingly appalling, and overpriced too, with no curtains.

It's a few blocks from San Pedro's main streets, so it stays quiet, and the staff are friendly and helpful. The kitchen has pots and pans left for guests, and the big water tank helps when the water supply is lost. Solar power helps with the unreliable electricity, while the solar hot water starts warming up about two hours after sunrise. There are heaps of blankets on the comfortable beds, which you need for the cold desert nights.

The kettle didn't work, and there was no hot water either. On top of that, the male receptionist played music extremely loudly and used profanity while talking about women. My husband's AirPods had been on the nightstand, but we only noticed they were missing after we got home. Their last location showed at the hostal address in San Pedro. We didn't even get an apology. I wouldn't recommend this place.